Advance Care Planning Conversations that Matter in Corbin, Kentucky
Baptist Health Corbin: Advance Care Planning Conversations that Matter
Advance care planning conversations are important no matter what stage of life you are in now. Learn more about the living will process and organ donation from Baptist Health.
Advance Care Planning Conversations that Matter in Corbin, Kentucky HealthTalks Transcript
Alice Tremaine, Advance Care Planning:
Advance care planning is a process of thinking about and communicating your preferences for medical treatment in the event that a sudden or serious accident or an illness leaves you unable to communicate.
A living will is a legal document that allows you to designate a healthcare surrogate and an alternate and to direct your wishes about life-sustaining treatment and artificial foods and fluids in the event of a terminal condition or permanently unconscious state, as well as your wishes regarding organ and tissue donation after death.
At Baptist Health, we have certified advance care planning facilitators who can help you with advance care planning conversations and with the completion of advanced directives like a living will. It’s a free service that we provide to our patients because we believe it’s our responsibility to know your preferences and to help prepare you for the future, so that you can focus on living fully in the present.
Without advance care planning, families are unprepared to make decisions in really difficult situations, because they often don’t know what that individual would choose if he or she could communicate. And even if they are able to make the same decision that individual would make, a lot of times they still struggle with a lot of guilt or conflict. By making the decisions ourselves, we not only ensure that our plans are carried out, but we also take the burden off our families and give them peace of mind during a difficult time.
